Where the surf meets the turf: Roasted peach salad
On opening day in 1937, American's most relaxed crooner Bing Crosby and his horse racing buddies (among them Oliver Hardy, Gary Cooper, and Pat O'Brien) cashed in their first winning tickets at Del Mar. A special racetrack train carried movie stars (and horses that ran in the later races) from Hollywood to the new seaside track. The fun began on the train, with delays on the way if the stars wanted to party on. The races began only when the train arrived. As the track's publicist said, "This is where no one is in a hurry but the horses."
This laid-back attitude and the sparkle of Southern California's beautiful people continues to this day. Race day at Del Mar brings out gaggles of beautiful girls: slim of body, lowcut of dress, and long of hair. The English custom of wearing outrageous hats to the races has become very California with large and exotic toppers on every head. The men are not left out—the younger dark hairs slicked back and shiny, the older greys elegantly trimmed. Those rich enough to pass muster and enter into the Turf Club are easily identified by suit coats and Italian shoes. The rest of us cram into the grandstand, linger by the paddock, stand in line for a coffee, or find a spot in the shade. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon—Bob with his form in his hand, me with my camera.
After the races, we met up with Foster at home and headed out to dinner at the Banker's Hill Grill, busy and bustling even at 8:00. We ordered up two ceviches and one roasted peach salad as appetizers and could have easily stopped there. But no, then came fish & chips, snapper with braised mussels, and an eggplant. The roasted peach salad was a revelation. Here's my best re-creation—do attempt this at home.
Roasted Peach Salad
As they say in foodie circles, the salad was "deconstructed." All the elements you expect to find in a salad were presented separately, individually seasoned, and plated together on what looked like a slate tile.
In this case the salad consisted of:
This laid-back attitude and the sparkle of Southern California's beautiful people continues to this day. Race day at Del Mar brings out gaggles of beautiful girls: slim of body, lowcut of dress, and long of hair. The English custom of wearing outrageous hats to the races has become very California with large and exotic toppers on every head. The men are not left out—the younger dark hairs slicked back and shiny, the older greys elegantly trimmed. Those rich enough to pass muster and enter into the Turf Club are easily identified by suit coats and Italian shoes. The rest of us cram into the grandstand, linger by the paddock, stand in line for a coffee, or find a spot in the shade. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon—Bob with his form in his hand, me with my camera.
After the races, we met up with Foster at home and headed out to dinner at the Banker's Hill Grill, busy and bustling even at 8:00. We ordered up two ceviches and one roasted peach salad as appetizers and could have easily stopped there. But no, then came fish & chips, snapper with braised mussels, and an eggplant. The roasted peach salad was a revelation. Here's my best re-creation—do attempt this at home.
Roasted Peach Salad
As they say in foodie circles, the salad was "deconstructed." All the elements you expect to find in a salad were presented separately, individually seasoned, and plated together on what looked like a slate tile.
In this case the salad consisted of:
- one unpeeled roasted peach (a grilled peach would suffice and I would peel the peach) on the lower right portion of the tile
- one mound (probably 3-4 tablespoons) of room-temperature marscapone cheese on the upper left
- one pile of extra-ordinary lettuce (maybe frisee or radicchio, but some leafy green of substance dressed probably with top drawer balsamic vinegar and expensive fruity extra-virgin olive oil) on the upper right
- Piles (and I mean piles) of excellent procuitto dusted with cracked black pepper and a smatter of olive oil on top to the left of the dressed greens
- two thinly sliced, well-buttered, carefully sauteed (certainly could be grilled with the peach) slices of excellent French bread
It was the essence of delicious—a schmear of marscapone on the slightly charcoaly toasties, a layer of lettuce, a slippery slice of ripe peach, and a tangle of proscuitto. A simple presentation, made with ingredients of excellent quality, producing an appetizer no one wanted to share.
The beautiful people
Banker's Hill Grill
Posted by Marla Nichols at 8/30/2011 2:08 PM 
Categories: Dessert, Restaurant, Appetizers, American
Tags: Del Mar San Diego roasted peach marscapone Bankers Hill Grill
Categories: Dessert, Restaurant, Appetizers, American
Tags: Del Mar San Diego roasted peach marscapone Bankers Hill Grill
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